Christian Montegan 
Euro 2024 Group B Preview. Design: Round Ball Australia
When the groups for the 2024 European Championships were drawn in December, the so-called ‘group of death’ tag was straight away assigned to Group B; with Spain, Italy and Croatia as the big three powerhouses.
But, if you delve a little deeper, those three names are either in a rebuilding phase or on the verge of starting fresh as the old guard slowly drifts away. Anyone can beat anyone, and Albania may fancy their chances of an upset.
The head-to-head meetings are interesting to point out. Italy has failed to defeat Croatia in their only five meetings, but the Azzurri have recently had the upper hand against the Spanish in both knockout ties of the past two European Championship editions.
Spain
FIFA World Ranking: 8th
Best Euros Finish: 3x Champions (1964, 2008, 2012)
What seemed to be a relatively challenging task on paper with Scotland, Norway, and Georgia in the same qualifying group, Spain completely dominated despite a slight hiccup after a 2-0 defeat to the Scots – attaining 21 out of 24 points and conceding five goals in eight matches.
They may not be the powerhouse they once were when they went back-to-back at the Euros, but La Roja still has that possession-style DNA, making them the only national team in world football who can pass anyone to death.
Rodri, Gavi, and Pedri will remain the heartbeat of midfield to pass their way through the opposition as they did during qualifying.
However, the 2010 World Cup winners will arrive in Germany without solving the question of an out-and-out goalscorer, that has lingered with them even during the golden generation when a false nine was required.
Alvaro Morata and Joselu were joint top scorers in qualifying with four a piece, so productivity from all areas will be critical.
Squad Profile
62-year-old Luis de la Fuente has a respectable understanding of Spain’s next generation coming through, having previously coached the nation’s U19, U21 and U23 sides – guiding the first two to European Youth Champions.
He prides himself on working with developing players and getting the best out of promising talents, not afraid to integrate inexperience into the first team as he’s done with Mikel Oyarzabal and Mikel Merino.
Instead of the old false nine tactic, de la Fuente sets up deploying a natural centre-forward to be a focal point in the box while not moving away from their identity, in keeping possession and creating spaces with the 4-3-3 model.
Defensive capability is one of the issues highlighted by many to argue against a deep run in the tournament. Goalkeeper Unai Simón had a terrific Euros campaign three years ago and is one to watch out for along with the centre-back pairing of Aymeric Laporte and Robin Le Normand (both born in France), who could cause an upset against the country of their births if they do meet.
16-year-old Barcelona wonderkid Yamine Lamal was arguably one of the Catalans’ most important players in La Liga, carrying an impressive maturity aspect for such a raw age.
He may not be the only answer to solving Spain’s lack of cutting edge in the attacking half, with Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams contributing five goals and 11 assists in La Liga last season and has a frightening amount of pace and skill to trouble the world’s best defences.
Expectations
If Alvaro Morata ended the season in top form, La Roja would have a solid case to be close to favouritism. It will come down to the final third needing to bury the opportunities that come their way, which there are still doubts around.
However, the combination of Pedri, Rodri, and Gavi in midfield will be a scary proposition for any opponent to gain control of the match.
Anything other than a semi-final appearance will be considered as an average tournament. My pick for Champions.
Italy
FIFA World Ranking: 9th
Best Euros Finish: 2x Champions (1968, 2020)
The defending European champions arrive at this year’s major tournament with a completely different look after the departure of Roberto Mancini and the retirement of iconic centre-back duo Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci.
Disaster is one way to summarise Italy’s last two World Cup qualifying campaigns, in what were two embarrassing moments for a proud footballing nation.
Paired with England in their Euro qualifying group, fears heightened that another catastrophe could be on the cards, and it took the final matchday to secure the Azzurri’s ticket – finishing on equal points with Ukraine with a superior head-to-head record proving the saviour.
The two-time European winners have kept four clean sheets in their last five outings as they will need to acquire a core backbone once again to have any chance of silverware, solely down to the lack of creativity and goalscoring ability in the final third, null and void of ideas.
Squad Profile
Italy were far from favourites at Euro 2020, but Mancini’s incredible work to galvanise the squad and ride a wave of momentum, all while implementing an attacking brand of football was commendable, to help Italy win their first major trophy since 2006 and achieve a 37-match unbeaten streak.
That is a tall order for any new coach to replicate which is exactly the task Luciano Spalletti has at hand. Off the back of leading Napoli to a historic Scudetto for the first time in 33 years, he has been touted as the perfect replacement to continue an attractive style of football.
The recent two friendlies experimented with a back four and back three, with the latter likely to be used against Spain in an attempt to limit midfield productivity as much as possible, where the Italians were completely dominated in their semi-final meeting three years ago to give up 71 per cent possession.
Keep an eye out for centre-back Riccardo Calafiori, rewarded with a call-up after a terrific season with Bologna in Serie A under Thiago Motta as the 22-year-old edges closer to a move to Juventus.
Leftback Federico Dimarco is one of the most underrated players in his position with 13 goal contributions for Inter Milan last season, while another stellar Euros campaign from Federico Chiesa will need to eventuate to register a spark in the attack.
Crying out for a capable centre-forward, Atalanta hitman Gianluca Scammaca’s 19 goals and seven assists in all competitions may just be the answer.
Expectations
Forced to settle with less experienced veterans often so heavily relied upon, the talent pool on paper is of less quality compared to the previous Euro edition.
Known for being slow starters in major tournaments, dropping points against Albania in the opening game is not out of the realm of possibility.
Reaching the last eight with very little hype and expectation is a pass mark. Quarter-finals, my hunch.
Croatia
FIFA World Ranking: 10th
Best Euros Finish: Quarter Finals (1996, 2008) – Runners up as Yugoslavia (1960, 1968)
For a country that holds a population of less than four million people, Croatia continually punch above their weight in recent World Cups – finishing second in 2018 and third in 2022.
Now, the next step is making a similarly deep run at the European Championships.
The golden generation that has carried them for the past decade makes it no surprise that this passionate football country performs above expectations.
Mario Mandžukić, Ivan Rakitić, Ante Rebić, and Ivica Olić are a handful of names who have moved on, but there is a common feeling that this will be Croatia’s last chance to do damage until the foreseeable future, given ageing stars of Luka Modrić (37) and Marcelo Brozović (31) are dwindling toward the twilight of their careers.
Turkey and Wales were two obstacles in Croatia’s qualifying group en route to Euro 2024, finishing second despite conceding four goals in eight games – a small sign that defensive solidity could be their strong point in Germany.
Undefeated in their past six fixtures and picking up four clean sheets, confidence and optimism are slowly growing amongst a dangerous side who always thrive with the underdog tag.
Squad Profile
Famous for guiding the Croats to a memorable World Cup final six years ago in Russia, 57-year-old Bosnian, Zlatko Dalic, has been in charge since 2017. He possesses a deep understanding of the nation’s foundations and capabilities as a result.
Persisting with the modern 4-3-3 formation, one of Dalić’s key tactics involves pressing high up the pitch to disrupt the designated ball carrier sitting in front of the defence, to win the ball in their own half and then transition into attack with numbers.
Aside from the third-place play-off in 2022, Croatia has failed to win a knockout stage game in regular time in the previous two World Cups, pointing to how disciplined they aspire to be defensively and orchestrate a healthy balance between each third of the pitch.
Despite an ageing golden generation, experience matters. The midfield trio of Modrić, Kovacić, and Brozović and the understanding they have with each other almost has a club vibe to it, where they have been around each other forever.
Keep an eye out for Atalanta Midfielder Mario Pasalić who is coming off another terrific season in Italy and will be required to play a significant role to rest an ageing midfield.
Manchester City left back Joško Gvardiol is the key standout in defence and is the type of physical and technical talent that suits Dalić’s style of football.
You may not have heard much about him, but 32-year-old Osasuna striker Ante Budimir will arrive with 17 La Liga goals last season and has the aerial ability and hold-up play to bring teammates into the action and be a constant threat.
Expectations
A difficult group to escape, let alone finishing top spot, it will depend on how the rest of the bracket pans out if they are to have any hope of progressing deep into another major tournament.
Not expected to top the group (although they have a chance of doing so) a win in the knockout stages is the expectation. Round of 16, I reckon.
Albania
FIFA World Ranking: 66th
Best Euros Finish: Round of 16 (2016)
Undoubtedly the whipping boys of Group B, expectations will be incredibly low for a small country with little pedigree, but will that be an advantage?
This will mark their second appearance at a major tournament, eight years after making an historic debut at Euro 2016 – finishing third in their group behind Switzerland and hosts France.
Albania topped their qualifying group ahead of the Czech Republic and Poland, but 12 goals in eight games including a group with Moldova and the Faroe Islands, are worrying signs in a tournament where chances in front of goal will be rare to come by against Spain, Italy, and Croatia.
Two recent friendly victories against Liechtenstein and Azerbaijan last week are a confidence booster to carry much-needed momentum. The question however is the lack of quality and competition faced before coming up against three of the top 10 nations in world football.
Squad Profile
Their Brazilian manager, Sylvinho, is one of the most inexperienced coaches heading into Euro 2024, with less than two full seasons under his belt at club level for Lyon and Corinthians.
Appointed in January last year, the Albanian board had one objective for Sylvinho to succeed – qualifying for this month’s tournament. With the help of Pablo Zabaleta alongside him amongst the coaching staff, they may well be an unlikely dark horse.
Favouring a 4-2-3-1 formation is a classic old-school approach by finding the lone centre-forward (Armando Broja in particular), via long balls over the top or into feet and connecting with the wide players to distribute crosses into the box.
Their technical ability is an underrated asset to allow positions such as the midfield to combine and escape from tight spaces to create room to transition and utilise a tonne of pace up forward.
Albania won’t be the prettiest team to watch at the tournament, but that can be disruptive to teams such as Spain who rely on a consistent tempo.
As mentioned above, Broja will be a key piece in the number nine role. Currently playing at Fulham on loan from Chelsea, without the 22-year-old available as a target man, the build-up play on the counter-attack will become less effective.
The only worry is that he has only featured in eight Premier League matches last season without registering a goal.
Captain and Lazio fullback Elseid Hysaj is the most high-profile name in the squad, part of the Albanian team at Euro 2016 who isn’t afraid to go forward and support the frontmen, also providing a spark physically.
He isn’t the only reliable defender, however. Centre back Berat Djimsiti (31) played 54 matches in all competitions for Atalanta to help guide the Italians to a Europa League trophy, Coppa Italia final and Champions League qualification.
Between the sticks, Etrit Berisha (35) is another member of the country’s major tournament debut squad in 2016 and is still a great servant to Serie A, now plying his trade with Empoli.
Expectations
Expect Albania to avoid a clean sweep of defeats, but there is no hiding that this remains an almighty mountain to climb to progress to the knockout stages.
Progressing to the knockout rounds would be viewed as a phenomenal achievement with the bar set extremely low. Group stage exit seems the pick.